I Just Wanna Feel
by HarvardBaby
Summary: Harmony craves a change, Angel wants back something he once treasured, Tara is sent back to Earth for a second chance at life, and Willow is just trying to live...
1. Prologue

_Harmony is sick of being evil, sick of living in darkness, sick of being a vampire, so she seeks help in the one person she's sure won't help..._

_Angel catches a ride back to Sunnydale with Harmony, searching for answers on why he's been too heartache-y to get out of bed._

_Heaven is having complications and spits Tara back out into Sunnydale. Her first instinct is to find Willow, but it's been at least four years – surely she's moved on._

_Willow is more than happy with Oz back for good, but the image of Tara has been haunting her more now than ever..._

Meanwhile, all the Scoobies are preparing for a new big bad; something that has never even crossed their minds before. They must come together if they wish to survive.

--

_This is set three years after 'Chosen'. The Scoobies had saved Sunnydale from being destroyed, and after a year-long break, they have returned to put evil in its place once again. If you are confused about any of this, feel free to message me your questions!_

_Rating: T just in case I get creative!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of the characters, except Trevor._

_Pairings: Xander/Anya, Willow/Oz, Dawn/Trevor. Eventually Buffy/Angel, Willow/Tara. And of course some new character pairings that will be sure to surprise you!_

_Author's Note: Hi everyone. I know the prologue is super short, but I assure you that Chapter 1 is much longer. This story started off as a Harmony only fic, and then turned into this huge thing. I hope you enjoy reading 'I Just Wanna Feel' as much as I enjoyed writing it!  
-- HarvardBaby xo._

**Prologue  
**

Dull moonlight washed over the pavement, silence embracing the lonely road. From in the shadows of the trees that towered over the highway, Angel crouched, waiting, his chocolate-coloured eyes gleaming in the light of the streetlamp. He was unmoving – like a wax museum statue on display. If there had been any cars passing through, they would have never seen him sitting there due to the long, black leather coat he wore, black shirt and black pants. His chestnut-brown hair was spiked effortlessly as usual, while his naturally dark complexion showed multiple scars – old and new – and a bruise under his right cheekbone. Angel closed his eyes, letting peace engulf him, when suddenly; the roaring of a distant engine mixed with a loud, obnoxious radio tune cracked the sky, making birds in trees scatter.

Harmony pulled up in front of the ragged vampire, bobbing her head to the bubble gum pop mix blasting from the speakers. Her blonde hair was loose around her shoulders, flying in multiple directions. Angel pushed himself to his feet, impressed with the girl's wheels.

A black Cadillac hummed in his presence, shiny coat giving him winks. He had always been interested in cars, and felt respect grow quickly for Harmony.

He slipped into the car without a word, and Harmony remained silent also, still head-dancing to the beat. In moments, the two were moving down the deserted road.

This was the longest night he had ever experienced, Angel decided after an hour of listening to Harmony drone on about her top 101 reasons to not be a vampire. But he had kept his cool by going over a mental list he had made on his own: 101 reasons to return to the person you love. He also reminded himself that even though he and Harmony were galaxies apart personality-wise, they both had one thing in common...

Their destination: Sunnydale, California.

--

_The sky was darker than usual,_ Tara decided, _much, much darker_. Indigo-coloured clouds rolled in from a distance at a speed she thought was almost impossible for mere clouds. And they didn't stop; as if they were trying to accomplish something.

She felt restless. Normally, every day here was tweaked to her own perfection: peaceful. But she couldn't figure out what to do with herself, what was a day here without sunshine?

Tara recruited herself towards her mirror, where she gently ran a brush through her soft, blonde hair. Over time, it had grown even longer, almost touching her hips, but she adored it and couldn't bring herself to cut even an inch off of it, nor did she colour it like she always had. 

The blonde went well with her delicate porcelain skin and bright eyes. Tara almost considered herself pretty at times.

Though, today was different. Not only did she consider cutting her hair so it brushed only her shoulders, she loathed her eyes, face-structure and skin tone. She also felt extremely revolting, and couldn't explain it. Deep inside of her, her stomach was churning uncomfortably, almost as if she was hungry, but Tara felt no desire to eat, only a desire to...

She couldn't explain this either. Lately, she had been sensing a strange kind of emotion, not like anything she could remember feeling. Sort of like she was missing something, something she couldn't pinpoint...

Suggestions to her new feeling were scattered everywhere: swords, orange hair, a tall, old-style house, ancient books, friends...

Suddenly, Tara was shaking uncontrollably. An unseen force raised her from her seated position on her chair and into the air. Then, without a sound or explanation, her room was empty, and she was hurtling down into a dark pit of nothingness, unable to find an end to it. Tara let out a scream, but knew that she was alone and no one would hear her where ever she was.

--

Willow awoke to a start, sides heaving with breathless gasps. Her eyes were wet and her throat hurt as if she had been shouting. She felt tiny beads of sweat at her brow and suddenly, fear engulfed her. What had she been dreaming about that had shaken her up to much?

She closed her eyes, still sitting up, trying hard to remember her nightmare, but all that came to mind was one name.

Tara.

Willow felt panic tighten in her chest. She hadn't dreamt of her deceased lover in months and months, why now? Angst made more tears well up in her eyes; oh, her dearest Tara...

She looked beside her where Oz slept soundless, the burgundy duvet rising as he inhaled. He looked so peaceful lying there, and Willow felt overwhelmed with comfort, knowing he was there...

She lay back down, nudging Oz's arm so she could fit between it and his muscled body. This gesture awoke him, and he smiled down at her sleepily, wrapping his arm around her before closing his eyes again.

Willow closed her eyes too, taking in shaky breaths, trying to stop her soft weeping, but the tears still came cascading down on Oz's naked chest. She felt his hand at the back of her head, where he began stroking her orange hair, lulling her into a half-awake half-asleep daze. Willow was so overjoyed that Oz was back with her for good because he was the only one who could really stop her tears.

"I love you," he whispered suddenly, his breath tickling her earlobe.

Willow snuggled closer to him, forgetting completely now about her dream. "I love you too, Oz." And in a matter of seconds, sleep had taken her over completely.


	2. All I Know is That I Need Just One

**All I Know Is That I Need Just One - Chapter 1**

Harmony crossed her arms over her chest and stared up into the indigo sky as the sun began to rise just beyond the horizon over Sunnydale. She smirked at its flaming face, turning to walk away. Normally, an aching sadness would have clenched her unbeating heart as she parted to find darkness while the sun rose, but all she felt was a round of laughter rising in her chest. If things went as planned, this would be the last time she would have to hide from the light.

The mansion was only a couple minutes from the hill where she had been standing and as she entered it, Harmony ran her hands through her blonde hair; she had never liked this place due to its resemblance to a crypt, but she couldn't expect anything more from _vampires_.

Vampires. She still loathed the word and meaning. They were so evil and dirty and..._Disgusting_. She had never asked to be a monster and had never done anything to deserve it so why was she being punished with this agonizing immortality?

It had come to Harmony in a matter of seconds as she lounged in her old, basement-like house, waiting for the sun to set. She had been remembering her high school years before she had changed into a monster, and when a memory of Buffy Summers joined her train of thoughts, a picture of her friend Willow Rosenberg had soon followed. Willow had been the biggest nerd in Sunnydale High and also...a witch.

She had shot from her position on her chair straight to her stiletto feet. Willow was a witch! Who did spells! Spells that could change things!

A sly smile painted her full lips. If she could get her hands on Willow, everything could change back to how it was. She could return to being a queen bee, instead of a C-list vampire. She could get her posse back and rein over all wannabes once and for all. She would be human...

Now, Harmony flopped against the bed that sat lonely in the corner of the room and heard the door to the mansion creek open. "Angel?" she called out, closing her eyes.

"Yeah," growled a nearing voice. "It's me."

"Where have you been?" Harmony asked, twisting her hair with her delicate fingertips.

"Out," Angel replied stiffly.

Harmony rose up onto her feet, crossing her arms and stomping over to Angel. "Why are you always grumpy?" she sulked. "You're never any fun! I'm starting to think you're worse than Spike!"

Angel remained quiet, pulling aside the heavy curtain to gaze outside. His mind screamed for him to run – Harmony was the most annoying and ditzy girl he had ever encountered and all night had dreaded coming home to her. But the manners that had come with his soul got the best of him – she had given him a ride here and the least he could do was let her stay here during the day.

The truth was Harmony was the only company he had had in half a year. Angel had spent his time in his dark home in LA, only leaving if his supply of blood had gone dry. In the six months, he had felt no need to leave his bed. His mind had constantly been replaying heartbreaking memories of when he used to live in Sunnydale, happy. As for his heart, it had been suffering more pain then, than it had since he had first left his home and the girl he loved...

"The first thing I'm going to do when I'm human is go to the beach," Harmony's shrill voice interrupted his train of thought, "and get a tan. I am _so_ pale!"

"That sounds great," Angel replied absent-mindedly.

"You're lucky," she added in, lounging on the couch close to him, "you're naturally tan and don't have to worry. Ugh, I hate you!"

"Sorry."

Harmony cocked her head playfully, smiling a scandalous smile. She stood, wrapping her arms around Angel's neck, forcing him to look into her green eyes. "Cheer up," she whispered, brushing her lips against his neck. "Everything will be better by nightfall."

Angel felt a wave of discomfort at the feel of Harmony on his skin; like an army of ants crawling against his face, but did not let it shine through and instead played along. "I know, Harmony," he murmured. "I know it will." He kissed the top of her head and pulled away from her grasp to retrieve his book to pass the time until sunset.

Harmony watched him go with sad eyes. Over the past three a half days she had grown strange, sudden feelings for Angel. But since the moment he had told her why he was coming to Sunnydale with her, she had known that it could never be.

She leaned against the windowsill, and then thought better of it as she heard a faint sizzling when her elbow touched sunlight. She let out a hiss and jumped away; Harmony couldn't wait to be human once again, because the sunlight brought out the highlights in her hair.

--

It happened before she could blink her eye; before she could take another breath in. It happened before she could take a step forward, or even understand what was happening. In the fraction of a moment that it happened, she went from a world of bright light and peace to the opposing world of sombre fear. Tara had returned home.

At first, her mind was clouded with misty confusion; she was not used to the chirping of crickets, or the heat radiating off of the pavement beneath her bare feet, or the towering buildings along the streets around her. She was not used to the blinding light from the sun in front of her, or the pain that it caused to her eyes. It had been over four years since Tara had sensed any kind of earthly beings and she felt strange standing there in front of an extremely familiar shop among the busy main street. She shivered – Heaven was never this cold.

Tara took a dizzy step forward with her arms out to try to steady herself. It was like she was a toddler again, learning how to walk for the first time. The bottoms of her feet burned as if the ground were made of steaming coals. She shivered once again, her ragged mauve t-shirt and matching, flowing skirt gave almost no protection to the cool morning breeze and helped to form strange bumps along her skin.

She took another step, which brought her closer towards the familiar shop. Artificial lights shone through the windows, indicating that it was open. Through her somewhat blurred vision, she read the words 'The Magic Box' above the shop's door. The second word in the title, magic, trailed in her brain. Magic, magic, magic...

And then, like somebody had knocked down the steel dam in her head, everything came rushing back.

The first thing that hit her was an image of a person; a beautiful woman with a million-watt smile and fire-engine red hair. Her eyes glowed with such a warm passion, that Tara could not mistaken it for anything but pure love.

Tara let out an uncontrolled whimper, stretching out her hand in front of her as if reaching out to touch something or someone. But all she felt was icy, invisible air blowing through her fingertips.

_Go to her_, whispered an unseen figure. The voice was lighter than the wind, surfing into her ears. _Go to her_.

"G-Go to who?" she stammered, whipping her head around in search of answers. But it came to her before she could even ask again.

_Willow_.

--

"Dawn? Did you leave the milk out?" Willow called up into the house, tucking a stray piece of orange hair behind her ear. "It's all warm and stuff," she added more quietly, mostly to herself. The clock above the doorway read 8:19AM, and she groaned, wishing she had slept in.

"No, it wasn't me," replied a nineteen-year-old Dawn as she appeared suddenly in the kitchen. "What's for breakfast?" She slid into a stool, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Well then who was—"

"That would be me," interjected a new voice. "Sorry Will."

Willow turned to see Oz standing beside Dawn, a small, sly smile on his face. She approached him, planting a kiss on his lips. "You're silly." She pressed her forehead against his and returned the smile.

Oz's happiness grew and he leaned in for a longer kiss. "You know I'm only here to ruin your life," he whispered breathlessly between kisses.

"Uh, EW, gross! Get a room!" shrieked Dawn playfully, raising her hands to her eyes to block her vision.

Willow and Oz laughed in unison and separated; Oz taking the stool beside Dawn and Willow to the stove where she prepared to make pancakes. As she reached up in the cupboards above, plucking the box of pancake mix from the shelf, she felt a sharp pang of sadness in the bottom corner of her heart. Only a couple years ago, Tara had been in her exact spot, making deformed pancakes for the entire Summers house. Everybody knew that nobody's pancakes could mount up to Tara's, though nobody mentioned anything; nobody ever mentioned her much in the first place.

"Mmm, pancakes, Will?" came Buffy's cheerful voice. She slid in on Dawn's other side, completing the small, present family.

"Yup." Willow's voice came out strangely groggy due to the reminiscing.

"Yummy." Buffy grinned, showing all of her straight, pearl-white teeth.

"So, what are the plans for today?" Dawn began casually, twirling a long, brown strand of hair in her fingers.

"Giles said she wants us at the shop," Buffy replied, stifling a yawn.

"Just like every other day," Dawn groaned.

"How eventful," Oz put in with his mysterious, sarcastic voice.

"Right," Dawn agreed, challenging Oz's sarcastic tone. "But let me put one thing straight; does Giles need us for the shop, or for research?"

"There's a new big bad in town, I've heard," Buffy said quietly, "and I need the whole team on it."

Willow shivered.

"What kind of big bad?" the brunette asked her sister, her interest growing.

Buffy shrugged. "When I was patrolling last night I met up with Clem." She looked to each of them, her eyes glossed with worry. "He told me he heard from another demon that there's something – or someone – coming, and soon. Nothing good of course, it never is. The only thing he said was that we should be prepared, no other details really..."

The kitchen grew silent save from the sizzling of the cooking pancakes on the pan. Willow mindlessly flipped them over and then started three more. The soundless room gave her too much time to think...

_What did Tara think about while cooking breakfast for the Scoobies?_

Willow dropped the spatula with a loud bang and brought her hands to her temples as if a migraine had just erupted around her brain.

_What was Tara thinking this very moment?_

She fell to her knees, eyes shut tight.

_Why couldn't she mount up to Tara?_

Her whole body began to shake uncontrollably. Tara...

Buffy, Oz and Dawn were all at her side in mere moments. She could feel Oz's big, warm hands on the back of her neck, Buffy's arms around her back and Dawn's face right next to her. They all spurted out words of comfort, but Willow could not bring herself to open her eyes or tell her friends that she really was okay; because that would be a lie.

"Will? Explain to us what's happening," Oz's gentle voice drifted into her ears like a sweet melody. His lips met the top of her head, and lingered there for a few extra seconds.

Willow let loose a sigh, opening her eyes and leaning against the oven. She pushed her hair away from her face. "I'm okay," she said softly. "I'm all good with the okay-ness!"

Buffy, Dawn and Oz stared at her fake smile, and then exchanged doubtful glances, but nodded at her words, not necessarily believing them. They slowly broke away from her, returning back to their places at the breakfast bar.

"Good thing you're okay," Dawn added. "We've already spent enough time in the hospital with Anya. I'd hate to go back there."

Willow nodded, getting back onto her sock feet. She hated remembering the long month Anya had been in the hospital after her brutal stab to the stomach while they together defeated the First. She was still getting the smell of hospital out of her clothes...

"What's happening in here?" Xander's voice drifted from the kitchen's doorway. A smile stretched from one ear to the other, eyes shining. He took a seat beside Buffy.

Willow suddenly felt happiness swirl inside of her like mist. While all her friends made her happy, Xander made her warm. Every time she saw all five feet nine inches of dark-haired, dark-eyed boyness, she just about melted with glee.

"Where's Anya?" Dawn asked, getting up from her spot to look in the cupboard for cereal, obviously giving up on Willow's pancakes. Willow turned off the stove and gave up too.

"She's at the shop already with Giles," he stated. "That's my girl, always working."

The room agreed with a breakout of murmurs. Willow joined the others around the breakfast bar, pouring cereal into their plastic bowls.

"A feast fit for a king!" Xander proclaimed, and then laughed.

Willow smiled weakly, still remembering her slight break down. Traces of Tara's beautiful face still haunted her mind, and no matter how hard she tried to sweep it away, it stuck like bubble gum. But what really panged her heart was that while Tara was in her brain's spotlight, dancing, singing, entertaining her attention, Oz was seated near the back, alone in the dark.


	3. Visitors

**Visitors - Chapter 2**

Tara's hand grew cold as she placed it on the Magic Box's copper doorknob. To comfort herself, she concentrated on the slow, steady pounding of her heartbeat under her chest. The noise was captivating to her; it had been years since she had heard it or felt it under her palm. _Thump, thump; thump, thump; thump, thump, _she could have listened to it forever, but a new noise, the noise of a bell jingling overhead as she gently pushed open the door, cut in, and jerked her attention back to reality.

An overwhelmingly familiar scent washed over her as she stepped into the Magic Box, making her close her eyes and breathe in. She could never have forgotten the smell of sage, clove and ancient books all mixed together into the sweetest of fragrances. A warm feeling engulfed her for the first time since she had been home. Memories came flooding back until they stopped once again with the beautiful face that made Tara's heat disappear.

"Hi, welcome to the Magic Box. Is there anything I can-, "

Tara's eyes rose from the tiled floor towards the woman standing in front of her. She wore a simple white blouse and a pair of blue jeans, her straight blonde hair tied up in a tight ponytail. Her dark amber eyes were stretched so wide, that Tara thought that they would burst.

Silence squeezed the life out of the entire shop with its firm grip.

"Tara..." the woman murmured, her voice cracking with shock. "That's not really...GILES!!" The sudden outburst made her flinch as if she had been shaken from a deep sleep. The woman turned on her three-inch heels and called the name three more times over.

Giles, dressed in a brown suit, came rushing to her side from the back in a matter of seconds, adjusting his glasses along the way. "W-what's wrong, Anya?" And when she didn't respond, his eyes followed her gaze to where Tara stood. He cocked his head to the side in confusion, removing his glasses and squinting, not quite believing what he was seeing.

Tara shifted uncomfortably, rubbing her hand along her arm. She didn't understand why they kept staring and wished they would stop; she hated the spotlight. Suddenly, she felt dizzy and the room began to spin. She closed her eyes and fell to the shop's hard floor, clutching her head as if it were about to fall off.

Images that seemed to make no sense blocked her regular vision; and in all of them, the redhead starred. She would smile in some, perfect teeth glowing. In some of them 

she wept, teardrops glistening like summer rain. But in most of them, she just looked at peace, eyes like liquid emerald burning into her own.

The last one was of the redhead kneeling on the floor, also clutching at her head, eyes squeezed shut in pain. She looked tortured, terrorized.

Tara assumed that was what she looked like at the moment and suddenly felt self-conscious. Her eyes whipped open, eyelashes brushing the top of her eye socket.

Before her, Anya and Giles were crouched, gazing at her in wonder, questions burning in their eyes.

"Willow," Tara whispered unwillingly. "Willow..."

Anya and Giles exchanged glances and then focused back on Tara. "Is it really you?" Giles asked, his voice low.

Tara sucked in air and blinked slowly, counting her heartbeats again. _Thump, thump_; _thump, thump; thump, thump_. "Why...am I here?" she wondered quietly.

Neither of them answered.

In minutes, Anya and Giles had helped Tara towards a large round table where they settled her on a plastic chair. When they were sure she was comfortable, they took places around the table too, where the questions began.

"Do you know where you are?" Giles asked kindly.

Tara looked from his aged face, to Anya's smooth face. She shook her head no.

"You're in Sunnydale, Tara," Anya told her, "at the Magic Box, my shop. That I run alone." She jerked her thumb in Giles's direction. "He just helps."

Tara nodded slowly in understanding. And then the room was quiet once again. She used the time to let her mind wander freely. What would she do when Anya and Giles grew tired of asking her questions? Would she wander the streets with no place to go? Worry suddenly struck her, but not from her potential homelessness. Her new issue was simple...what if she never found Willow?

"Tara?" Giles chimed in, obviously trying hard to get her attention. "Listen to me..."

"Okay."

"Where were you before you came here?"

The dark blonde wished she knew. She let her eyelids close to help herself concentrate. Where _had_ she been? All she could remember was...

"It was peaceful," she explained, her eyes downward. "I-I don't know exactly where...but it was so peaceful..." She felt her eyes well up and swiped the tears away ignorantly with her hand.

Anya was speechless as a reply and Giles nodded thoughtfully, eyes glazed over with sympathy. He didn't remove her from his sight, as if he believed he could tell her a story through his gaze. "I think..." he said, carefully choosing out each word. "I think that you were in Heaven...And now, you're back here, on Earth. Somehow...you're alive again, Tara."

"What?!" Anya shouted in disbelief, jumping into a standing position. "How can that be? Somebody must have done a spell...like we did for Buffy... "She stopped abruptly. "Willow, it must have been Willow. "

Giles's forehead creased with stress. "She wouldn't," he countered. "It's been years. And Oz..."

"Oz?" Tara chimed in, the name sounding oddly familiar.

"Willow's boy..." Anya began to explain, and then thought better of it. "How else could this have happened, Giles? Willow is the only one with that kind of power and connection with Tara."

"But, it just makes no sense," Giles said stubbornly, removing his glasses to rub his eyes.

Tara looked from Giles to Anya and back again, confusion surfacing the most of all the emotions she was feeling. Willow and Oz had been together before she and Willow had, she remembered. And now Willow and Oz were back together? She wouldn't allow herself to imagine it. Not after seeing Willow's eyes blaze into hers like they once had. "I don't...understand," she stammered. "Please tell me w-what's going on."

Giles heavily, moving his chair closer to hers. "I wish I knew," he admitted. "But Tara..."

A jingling noise erupted from behind them, making all three heads whip around towards the door. Sunlight streamed in as it opened, revealing a group of five, chattering people. They all glowed, smiles stretched across their faces.

Tara smiled a small smile for the first ten seconds they were in the shop, but on the eleventh second, horror replaced it. She knew these people, almost better than she knew herself. And the looks that washed over their faces when Anya and Giles tried to hide her probably resembled her own face.

And the silence came again.

Tara took comfort in the only thing that made sense. _Thump, thump; thump, thump; thump, thump; thump, thump. _

She allowed herself to scan the new arrivals. Buffy stood a few paces ahead of the rest of them, blonde hair tied up into a loose ponytail. Behind her was Xander with his mouth agape. Dawn was beside him, her expression not much different than his.

But the two others, who still stood in the shop's doorway, were the ones that shattered Tara's heart. Willow's right hand was entwined with Oz's left one, while her left one covered her mouth. Her green eyes shone with sudden tears, and her eyebrows were turned down in the corners. She looked like she was in pain, and Tara hated herself, knowing that she was causing it. Willow tried to take a step forward, but failed, a strange noised erupting from deep within her throat. Oz pulled her into him, trying to comfort her, but she tore away, looking too far over the edge for any kind of comfort. Her right hand let her boyfriend's hand fall as she reached out towards Tara.

Tara stood at the far end of the table, motionless. She wished she were back to where she had once been, where everything was so clear, so peaceful; where everything fit in like a puzzle, where causing pain to the people you loved was seemingly impossible...

--

Angel cupped his hand over his mouth as he stifled a yawn. Sleep had been next to impossible yesterday morning, due to Harmony's endless chatter, and the next day, as the sun gained strength in the sky, he was beginning to feel the worst of it.

His eyes were casted downward at his book, though his mind took in no words. He wanted more than anything to sleep - but a snoring Harmony already ruled over the bed. He tried to concentrate on something, anything, but all his thoughts kept drifting back to one girl...

Angel could still remember the sting he had felt in his heart, like the prick of a pin, as Buffy had finally admitted to her relationship with Spike. He had wished every day since, that Buffy had loved anybody else...Spike, even with a soul, was a monster, a destroying monster, and he just couldn't understand why Buffy had trusted him with her heart.

He dropped his book and ran his hands over his tired face. He wanted to see her, needed to see her, more than he needed the darkness while the sun was up. Sitting against the cold, dirty floor, he tried brainstorming ideas on how to get to her sooner than during the night, and could only come up with one.

Run like hell.

Angel removed his long, black leather coat from the couch near the door and draped it over his entire body, shielding even his head from the outside world. He took a deep breath, opened the door and shot out of the mansion faster than a rabbit being chased by a fox.

He could hear the sizzles before he could feel them. He knew how extremely dangerous being out like this was, but he just needed to get to Buffy. The pain was excruciatingly harsh, but he saw no other solution, and patience had never been his thing. When he was with Buffy, everything would be okay...

Angel felt the not so familiar sensation of joy as he turned onto Buffy's street. He pushed himself harder and harder, agony terrorizing his fingertips. He raced up the pebble path to her doorstep, where he knocked furiously on the door. He suppressed a shout, growing desperate.

"Buffy!" he called into the melody of hissing burns, banging and shouts. When nobody answered after several minutes, he burst through the door and fell to his hands and knees. Angel could feel that all his strength was gone and weakness was now gnawing on his insides. He slumped harder against the ground, closing his eyes. If Buffy were here, she would find him soon, and he'd be happy, very happy. And if she wasn't, he would wait until she came. He had already waited centuries for her to grace his life with her presence; he could definitely wait a couple more hours.

--

Harmony gripped the roots of her endless blonde hair with her fingers, pulling at them angrily. There was nothing worse in the world than waking up to an empty house. It was almost like travelling for miles, looking for your prince charming and finding a short, ugly troll.

Light still sifted through a hole in the dark curtain and worry clouded all her other thoughts. How had Angel left? Had she slept through the entire day and night?

Impossible, her mind growled. She pushed herself off of the bed and hurried towards the window. Carefully, she pulled back the curtain and gazed outside. At first, all her eyes took in was the glare from the sun, the outline of the trees and gravestones against the sky and the distant whizzing of cars on the road a quarter of a kilometre away. Then, as her vision adjusted, she gasped, not believing what she was seeing.

Leaning against a small headstone, was a man that made her hands shake. Scars, newer cuts and bruises decorated his broad face, which was lit up with a small smile. His chestnut-coloured hair was spiked as always, while his clothes reflected the sunlight. Harmony had never seen Angel in the light before, and never expected she would, but there he stood, two inches from perfection, watching her.

"Angel?" she called to him. "Angel? What are you doing out there? Are you crazy?"

His smile grew, and she heard him chuckle. Angel began taking steps towards the mansion, his skin glowing.

"How are you doing this?" Harmony asked in disbelief.

Again, she got a smile and a chuckle as an answer. He kept on walking, getting closer and closer, until he was in front of her on the other side of the window. "Harmony," Angel whispered.

It was at that moment, when she looked into his eyes that were blazing into hers, that she realized it wasn't Angel. His eyes weren't right; they were too dark, too evil. And she couldn't believe that Angel would look at her with love in his eyes they way he did now, not when Buffy still ruled his memory.

Harmony backed away, hands up as if she were surrendering. "Hey, you're not Angel!" she shot at him, stating the obvious.

"No shit," the Angel-impersonator hissed. He even sounded like him.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"I have a proposition," he explained, now smirking. He slowly made his way over to the door, letting himself inside.

"What is it?" Harmony was still backing away, and she tripped back onto the bed. "'Cause I totally don't do evil anymore."

Fake-Angel's eyes grew sympathetic. He sat down beside Harmony and ran his hand down her hair. "Harm, baby," he whispered into her ear. "We could be together forever. If you get rid of him, Harm, I can promise you an eternity of happiness, just you and I."

Harmony's eyes fluttered closed as she shivered under his touch. For a moment, she imagined this creature really was Angel, murmuring words of love to her. For that moment, she was ready to sacrifice a life to be with him, even if it wasn't real. This _thing_ was too identical to Angel not to believe, but her better judgement caught up too fast, and she pulled away. "No thank you," Harmony replied, her voice full of sass.

Angel-wannabe shot to his feet. Anger forced lines into his face and his soft gaze suddenly turned to a glare. "You'll regret it," he snarled, pointing a finger at her. "Forever. For the rest of your life, you'll regret it." And without another breath, word or sound, he was gone.

Harmony didn't know what to do. She stared down at the blackened floor, not in the mood to blink. She sensed confusion from the useless veins in her head down to the edge of her red painted toenails. She suddenly felt vulnerable, like an ant crawling 

under the shadow of a boot. Harmony wished that she had somebody to turn to, somebody to feel safe next to, somebody that she could fall asleep against...

She couldn't wait any longer.

Harmony hauled her enormous suitcase onto the bed, and began to tear through it. She launched blouses, jeans, skirts, t-shirts and tank tops across the mansion floor, until she reached the bottom, and her treasure.

A hot pink cell phone looked up at her from her palm, offering her her own reflection. She closed her eyes, tapping into her memory. The numbers flashed in her mind like a showy Las Vegas sign, and Harmony silently thanked God for her photographic memory.

She dialled the numbers quickly with her thumbs, and then pressed the phone to her ear. She leaned against the wall, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear; it had become a habit.

"Hi, this is the Magic Box, how can we help you?" the voice on the other end said automatically. It was vaguely familiar. _Perfect_, Harmony thought.

"Hey, can I talk to Willow?"

_There. I hope you enjoyed Chapter 2. Chapter 3 will be up shortly. Please review if you already haven't! ) _


	4. Warmth

_Author's Note: I'm sorry it took so long to get Chapter 3 up! But as you can see, it's longer than the other chapters, and I worked hard on this one. Let me know how you like it, or...if you don't! )_

**Warmth - Chapter 3 **

Willow knew as soon as she had seen Tara standing beside Anya and Giles, so real and breathing, that a decision was to be made. She knew that the sudden feeling throughout her entire body was unacceptable while Oz was involved in her life. She would be being terribly selfish to keep them both that close to her heart. It had meant everything to her when Oz had decided to return permanently, just to be with her, but never had she expected to see Tara back, and for it to mean even more to her.

She could feel the beginning of a tremble in her the tips of her fingers before it turned into an earthquake throughout her entire body. Willow looked through tear-blurred eyes from Tara to Oz slowly, letting herself take in the familiar distinctions in their faces. Like the smile lines around Oz's lips and the faint rosy tint of Tara's cheeks. She could feel her insides starting to tear apart in emotional agony; why did things have to change so suddenly?

"Willow..." Oz murmured softly, his voice cracking so painfully that it made her wince.

Willow knew she would never be able to forget the look that was now painted across her boyfriend's face; a mix of fear, torment and sympathy. His beautiful eyes were glassy as he stared into hers. She inhaled deeply looked back at Oz with fake bravery. She quickly thought of something, anything she could say to him, and then rehearsed it a couple times in her head. "Oz, I-I can't..." Willow tried to say, but as soon as words had hiccupped through her lips, she had broken down into muffled sobs worse than this morning's.

She could feel Buffy, Dawn and Xander behind her, still standing, too confused and overwhelmed to move. Anya and Giles were a bit farther away from her, but mirrored them. Everything in the shop was unmoving, except for Oz and Tara, who automatically were at her side in moments.

Willow suddenly felt like a young child surrounded by her parents as cried. The same kind of protective love radiated off of Tara and Oz as they pressed themselves close to her. They didn't care that one of them would someday be hurt by a decision she'd have to make, neither did they flinch at the heat of the eyes watching the scene; they 

just held her, together, and suddenly, her tears stopped, as if a touch by the two people she had ever loved was the only key solution.

She let her granny smith eyes wander towards Tara's face. Her smile was just as she remembered from all those years ago, just as warm and gentle. It didn't judge her, or expect her to do anything; it just reminded Willow of her and Tara's time together, and that her love was unconditional. Oz's face was strangely identical, though it was his eyes that reassured her that what he felt was never-ending.

The shrill ringing of the phone made Willow jump in surprise out of her trance. Reality came rushing back. She watched as Anya hurried to the phone and answer in one swift breath. Beyond this sudden episode, life was still buzzing along. People still wanted the abnormal things sold in the Magic Box. People were still window-shopping along the sidewalk, eating ice cream; yawning...It gave Willow an abrupt strength, a sudden hope. She would get through this.

Suddenly, Anya's lovely face turned to look at her, confusion as clear as sunny day obvious in her face. She extended the phone in Willow's direction with a shrug. "It's for you."

Question marks registered into Willow's eyes, but she shakily made her way over to where Anya was by the counter. "H-Hello?"

"Is this Willow Rosenberg?" asked an impatiently voice on the other end.

"Yes, it is."

"Thank GOD!" the girl shrieked so loudly that Willow had to jerk the phone away from her ear to withstand it. "Oh my God, Willow, you have no idea how long I've needed to talk to you."

Willow nodded slowly trying to understand. "I'm sorry," she said, "but who is this?"

The girl cackled. "Ha! I am SO sorry. I can't believe I didn't say sooner. It's Harmony, you know, from Sunnydale High? I was in your classes for forever!"

The gears in her brain began to whirl, trying to remember. Harmony, Harmony, Harmony...Harmony. Anger erupted from inside of her. Of course she knew Harmony, she was the same person who had tortured her emotionally since day one of elementary school, and had not given up until the time she had left Sunnydale as a vampire to live in LA. Willow hadn't even thought of Harmony in years, and now, she was suddenly back in her life, needing her?

"Harmony, hi," she replied uneasily. She shot a look at Anya who just shrugged once again. Buffy tensed from where she still stood by the door, obviously remembering the last time Harmony had been in Sunnydale.

"Listen, I was wondering if we could, you know, meet up." Harmony asked casually, as if they had been the best of friends and had always met up.

"Meet up?" Willow echoed, remembering that she was talking to a vampire. "No! Not while you're all evil and blood-sucky!" Her words made all seven pairs of eyes in the room widen. The redhead raised a hand to assure them that it was all right.

Harmony laughed lightly. "Well, you see, that's the thing," she began. "I was hoping you could do a spell for me."

"Are you crazy?" she shot back. "I don't do spells for evil...things! Not anymore! Y-you should have seen me last time I did magic for evil. No! Not a chance!" Her friends drew closer to her whispering questions that didn't quite reach her ears.

"No, Willow, you don't understand!" Willow felt a sudden pinch of sympathy at hearing the desperation in Harmony's voice. She could tell that the voice at the other end was no way deceiving, but completely truthful. "Please let me explain!"

"Okay, Harmony, you have one minute to explain everything to me." She knew before Harmony had even started her story that she would give in. She had never been able to resist helping anyone in need. And with the sudden new visitor back into her life, Willow knew without question that she would be able to accomplish any spell needed.

--

Tara twiddled her thumbs in her lap as she sat patiently in the back of Xander's car. Buffy was up in the front beside him, not making a sound as she played with the radio's dial. Dawn was beside her, pressed against the opposite door as if she were trying to stay as far away from Tara as she could. The brunette kept shooting nervous sideway glances at her every quarter of a minute as if she were about to be attacked. Tara felt self-conscious once again; hadn't these people been her best friends?

The small Toyota bumped along the pavement until it coughed and sputtered to a stop in a driveway. Even in with the glare of the sun in her eyes, Tara recognized the house in an instant; she had spent so much of her time here and so many of her memories were forever frozen here. To finally be back was like stepping outside to take a refreshing breath of air.

Buffy, Xander and Dawn all exited the car without a word, so she followed, keeping her eyes down; it wasn't like any of them would be looking into her eyes anytime soon.

The time it took for the four of them to make their way from where the car was parked messily in the driveway to the time that they walked through the front door seemed like an eternity. The empty house echoed with their footsteps as they awkwardly and wordlessly removed their shoes and went to settle in the living room. Tara could remember endless moments sitting on the couch with her friends, discussing the upcoming disaster or just their personal lives. They would watch lame horror movies, eat popcorn and dry cereal, and sleep. Dawn would always ask for help with her homework, Buffy would make plans, Xander would tell jokes and make sarcastic comments, Anya would tell stories of her demon days, and all the while, Willow would be sitting beside her holding her hand as they both tried to resist their urge to kiss...

A sudden noise from the second floor jerked her away from her daze, and when she looked to check the others' expressions, she saw that nothing had changed. Buffy, Xander and Dawn all still wore completely blank faces. Xander and Buffy collapsed onto the couch, while Dawn stood in the doorway. Their eyes were glued to Tara as they waited for her to sit too. Tara glanced back up the stairs as she went to sit in the chair across from the couch.

Several more moments slugged by in silence. Buffy and Xander exchanged a few glances every couple of minutes, by no words were said. Dawn was still staring at Tara, daring her with an ice queen gaze.

Tara sighed.

"Maybe you should get some sleep, Tara," Buffy finally suggested. Tara could tell by the way the blonde had said her name that she felt weird saying it.

Tara nodded, suddenly realizing how tired she was. "Okay, sure," she agreed, rising to her feet.

Buffy smiled. "You can sleep in my room. You remember where it is, right?"

"Of course," she said. "Will you wake me when...?"

"As soon as Willow and the rest are back," Buffy finished. "Don't worry, Tara. I don't know how, but you're home again. And you're family."

Tara felt as if a great amount of weight had been removed from inside her stomach. All the knots untangled and for the first time since she had been back, it felt real.

She murmured goodnights to the three others and then climbed up the stairs, dragging her tired feet behind her. As she turned right, the half of the hallway stretched out in 

front of her. In her mind, she labelled one doorway the bathroom, one a closet and the last one Buffy's room. She took her time trudging down the hallway, stifling another yawn. Slowly, she cracked open the door.

Along the length of Buffy's single bed, lay the extremely broad figure of what her mind labelled as Angel. He faced her, eyes closed and mouth painted into a straight line. His naturally tanned face showed terrible burns and scars that matched ones on his hands. Tara studied him for a few moments before wondering what to do; she couldn't possibly wake him. So she just stood there, letting the feel of oxygen coming in and out of her lungs distract her.

Until the sound of voices from the bottom level got caught on the air. Tara inched her way to where the stairs began and stood, listening.

"Tara can't stay here!" insisted Dawn's voice. "There are so many reasons why, Buffy, and you know that too!"

"Dawn, you listen to me," Buffy said to her sister through clenched teeth. "Tara will stay. There is no reason. Explain to me why you think you should tear her apart from Willow."

"Because Willow loves, Oz, Buffy!" Dawn shot back desperately. "I love Tara, so, so, much. But she was taken away from us for a reason, and we can't change that."

"She may have been taken away, but she was always given back to us," Buffy pointed out. "Willow also loves Tara."

Dawn sighed heavily. "But now she'll have to choose! Do you know how hard this must be for her?"

The room grew silent, no come-backs coming to anyone's mind. Tara suddenly felt hurt; how could Dawn not want her anymore? Her little Dawny who was almost like a sister? She strained forward so she could hear better.

"Willow's a big girl, Dawny," Xander said quietly, cutting into the conversation finally. "It will be a tough decision, but it's up to her. Willow's strong; she can take care of herself."

Xander's words seemed to dismiss the subject, because Dawn sighed heavily, and quickly exited the house. Buffy gave Xander a small smile crossing her arms over her chest. "I'll go check on her," Buffy murmured, before making her way towards the staircase.

Tara gasped and cursed under her breath; not wanting to be caught eavesdropping. She scrambled to her feet and hurried towards Buffy's room where she should already be sleeping. When she pushed the door open, she groaned in defeat, seeing Angel asleep on the bed in front of her for the second time.

Buffy was behind her in mere moments, casting a shadow next to Tara's. Tara turned to see the blonde's face twisted with emotion. She could sense Buffy's confusion stronger than the heat off of a radiator. She didn't exactly understand Buffy's strange reaction in the presence of Angel; why was she so surprised to see him here? Tara parted her lips to ask the question burning on the end of her tongue, but as if she were physic, Buffy held up a finger to Tara, and let her gaze rest on her. "Tara, go downstairs," Buffy whispered so quietly, that Tara had to think twice to understand what she was saying. But she nodded, and left her friend to be alone with Angel.

While descending the stairs to rejoin Xander in the living room, she couldn't help but look back at Buffy still standing in the doorway to her room, eyes staring straight ahead of her, frozen. Mentally, she compared Buffy's face to Willow's face when she had seen Tara less than an hour ago and how similar they were. She thought of a series of possibilities of the reason for Buffy's surprise; had Angel found somebody else to love? Had he hurt her in a way? Had he once again lurked on the dark side? Had Angel never come back from LA...?

Tara felt a warm hand on the small of her back and she turned to see Xander. He smiled gently and looked into her eyes for the first time after her arrival back in Sunnydale. She instantly felt herself melt into a state of comfort, remembering how much she had missed the tall, dark-haired man.

"Where did Buffy go?" he asked, motioning for Tara to follow him into the kitchen.

She followed him obediently. "She's upstairs..." she began, deciding whether to tell Xander about Buffy's company, "with, uh, Angel."

Xander stopped dead in his tracks. "Ugh," he said, shaking his head. He turned to face her. "That is not very good."

Tara padded across the kitchen tiles to sit at the breakfast bar. "Why not?"

Xander joined her in the kitchen, prodding through the fridge for something to eat. "Well, that excuse for a person hasn't been here since the last Apocalypse."

Tara looked at him quizzically.

Xander chuckled slightly. "Long story. It was about three years ago and even then he didn't stay long. Every time he comes, he always leaves soon after, and it just about kills Buffy every time. She still hasn't let him go, though. Don't know why, I myself have always hated him." He removed an apple from the fridge's crisper, and settled beside her.

Tara frowned. "So you think this will be like all the other times?" she guessed.

"I know so," he replied, nodding solemnly. "It's the same every time. Buff gets all worked up when she first sees him. He apologizes for not coming a lot, she forgives him. They spend the night holding each other and kissing and crying, and then he just leaves. It's happened a lot, except this is the longest he's ever not come back. Maybe she won't forgive him this time."

She shrugged. "Buffy's a big girl, she can figure it out herself." Tara then realized in horror that she had just recited his exact words from minutes ago.

Xander gave her a sceptical look, but mentally shrugged it off. "You're right. If anyone can handle herself, it's Buffy." He took a noisy bite from his apple. "It's just so weird. First Oz comes back, then you, then Harmony and now Angel? It's kind of freaky, actually."

Tara thought about Xander's words carefully. It was weird. It was weird that she had been brought back to Earth from the afterlife at all. She wondered about the purpose of this reunion; fate had to have had something planned ahead. Was there a serious evil coming that needed the return of so many people to defeat it? Or was it all an absurd coincidence? "It is..." she agreed absent-mindedly.

--

All Angel could see was darkness. When he turned to the right and left, the view stayed the same; it was as if his eyes were permanently shut. He tried to remember where he was and how he had got to this alien place, but all that came to mind was fear. What did he have to be scared about? He began to take steps forward, testing this new place. He then took steps backwards before coming to the conclusion that he was totally and utterly lost.

A glimpse of heart-achingly familiar blonde hair flashed in front of him, making all of his senses freeze up with emotion. Angel flailed around, trying to find the owner of the blonde locks, but his hands grasped at cool air instead. He scanned his sombre surroundings; desperation making him crazed, and still found nothing. Frustrated, Angel fell to his knees, hands massaging his temple.

Leave me alone, he pleaded silently.

A cackle erupted from somewhere around him, and echoed on and on for minutes. Angel clasped his hands over his ears to shut it out, but it continued, as clear as ever, as if it were all in his mind. Suddenly, he was standing once again, arms at his side, staring straight ahead into the beautiful face of his tormentor.

Darla stood pleasantly before him, dressed in a simple pleated skirt and white blouse. She smiled warmly, head cocked to the side. "Angel," she practically purred. "It's been a long, long time."

Angel glared at her in part disgust, part hatred. "Just how I like it," he hissed back. "What do you want, Darla?"

She pouted her perfect lips and traced her finger along Angel's chest. "I've missed you," she whined. "Remember when we were together? Those were your glory days."

Angel steamed with anger. "I'm not going to fall for your mind games, Darla."

Darla stomped her foot and the compact of her black shoe and the ground made another echoed throughout where ever they were. "But Angel! You could be so great!"

"I don't need to be evil to be great."

"Oh, but you do." She stepped away from him, eyes soft. "Meet me when you wake up, Angel. Please, find me, so we can talk properly."

Angel was about to nod (though not actually intending on meeting her) when he realized; how could he possibly meet Darla outside of his nightmares when Buffy had staked her years ago...?

When his big, dark eyes went to meet hers once again, she was gone.

Angel woke to a start, breathing heavily, and sweat soaking the bed sheets underneath him. Goosebumps traced along his arms and legs, and he suppressed a shiver. He began to shake, coldness engulfing his entire body, except for one part on the side of his stomach that blazed with the heat of Hell itself. Angel turned his head to the side, and was suddenly filled with the same warmth all over.

Buffy perched on the bed beside him, her flawless face emotionless as she gazed down at him. Her hand was placed on Angel's side where his skin flashed the room openly. Without a word, she raised her other hand to stroke his forehead. He closed his eyes, content for the first time in three years.

"You came back," Buffy choked out.

"I always will," he replied instantly, his voice quiet. He cleared his throat.

"But...why?"

Angel opened his eyes again, to see that Buffy's had filled up with fat, uncontrollable tears. He pulled himself up into a sitting position so he could pull the one person he had ever loved into him bare chest. He decided right there to never let go of her.

Buffy cried softly as he held her, remembering all the other times he had come back without telling anyone. She wished she could believe that it was forever this time, just like she had forced herself to believe each other time. But she didn't let herself cave in this time; she had spent three years building up a wall, and wasn't about to let it fall.

But Buffy didn't let herself make any decisions either. She wasn't ready physically nor was she ready emotionally. She would not let herself be fooled by what she was feeling while breaking down to make any sort of judgements or plans. With the return of Tara, Harmony and now Angel, she really did have a lot on her plate. Buffy told herself to wait until tomorrow; a brand new day, where she could handle all the sudden arrivals.

But for now, Buffy would just let Angel hold her for the first time in an eternity.

End of Chapter 3.

_Author's Note: I hoped you liked Chapter 3! Chapter 4 will be on its way shortly. Tell me what you think of how Darla will meet Angel outside his dreams, or what will happen between Willow/Harmony, Willow/Oz, Willow/Tara, Buffy/Angel. Oh, and one more thing. Remember how I mentioned in the summary of a guy named Trevor? His first appearance will be in the next chapter, yay! So yes, please R&R! Thanks!_


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